Being Prue
by Goth03
Summary: Piper remembers Prue. OneShot. Please read and review, but no flames. Thanks.


**Title: Being Prue**

**Rating: K+**

**Description: Piper remembers Prue. OneShot. Please read and review, but no flames. Thanks. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

_Set when Paige is moving into the manor. _

**Being Prue**

Grocery shopping was Piper's least favourite past time, but currently it seemed to be her only time away from being a witch, so therefore, it was quickly becoming more and more bearable.

Since Paige had moved into the manor, the place had been turned upside down, side-ways, and back upside down again; the girl had more stuff than a candy store had calories. It was getting ridiculous, and Piper didn't have the capacity of imagination to work out how everything had managed to fit into her new sister's previous shoebox of an apartment.

She shook her head, revelling in her thoughts, as she began to pick up her items from the trolley to put onto the check out. Suddenly, without warning, a carton of milk evaded her clutch and bounced over the edge of the conveyer belt; automatically, Piper made to freeze the item before it hit the floor, however, her new power decided to kick in instead.

"Ah, shoot." Piper said, as the milk exploded and cool white liquid sprayed all over her.

"Bad day?" The girl behind the counter smiled. Piper glanced at her for a moment, deciding whether or not it had been sarcasm that she had detected in her voice.

The girl reached down behind her workstation and pulled out a roll of paper towels.

"Here, this should help." She said, as she held the towels out.

With a defeatist sigh, Piper retracted her readied claws, and took the towels from the girl, forcing a smile and feigning politeness.

"Thanks." She mumbled dejectedly, as she began to wipe herself down. The liquid had found it's way through the material of her jacket, and was now making it's way past her shirt onto her bare skin underneath. The girl, Stacey her name badge read, began to pile Piper's shopping into some free bags as the older woman continued to clear up the mess left behind from the minor explosion.

"You know, we get this happen all the time." Stacey told Piper kindly, as she packed up the last of her shopping. Piper doubted very much that women coming in and blowing up cartons of milk with their bare hands was a regularity, but she appreciated the friendly attempt to ease her embarrassment all the same. The brunette witch stopped wiping her jacket and smiled politely as she dumped the wet towels onto the till and pulled out her purse.

"There, all done." Stacey said, turning back to face Piper, her peachy smile still firmly in place. The girl's cheerful mood made Piper's head further down south. She needed to get out of the store, and fast, before she had to blow up anything else, but on purpose.

Handing her credit card over, she prepared to bolt as soon as it was done. She walked down to the bottom of the checkout where her shopping was neatly bagged, and began to load it all back into the trolley.

"Wait-," Stacey motioned to put the card into the machine, but stopped. She gazed at the front of the plastic. Her pretty eyes contracting slightly with surprise. Piper turned to face the shop attendant slowly.

"Is there something wrong?" Piper asked, a questioning, but strained smile appearing on her lips; there was only so much drama she could handle on one singular shopping trip, and her credit card failing on her was not one she was sure she could cope with.

Stacey laughed airily and shook her head for a moment, a cascade of long auburn curls fell into her face, cuddling her young features; she had a heart shaped face, and the kind of infectious grin that made Piper want to scowl.

"No. I mean," the girl chewed on her lip as she paused. Piper felt her brows knit together in confusion and rising irritation.

"I'm sorry, but P. Halliwell, as in, like, Prue Halliwell?" The cashier asked slowly. Piper felt the words hit her like a punch to her gut; she was momentarily breathless. Out of the many number of things that she had been expecting to come from the bubbly young girl's mouth, a mentioning of her late sister had not been on the list.

It had been a while since Piper had heard Prue's name said out loud, especially away from the context of death, dying or otherwise. She stared at the girl, searching her face; had she really just heard the girl say her sister's name?

Stacey seemed to mistake her wordless stare for some sort of embarrassment at being recognised.

"Sorry, I've just made a complete fool of myself – I'm Stacey, I'm a big fan of your work." She said hurriedly as a blush began to creep onto her young freckled cheeks. She placed the card into the slot.

Piper was caught in a kind of trance. She stared blankly at the girl, taking in what she was saying, but not really hearing much of it at all. Finally, as the girl stopped talking, Piper shook her head.

"Right." She answered weakly, not really knowing what else to say.

"I have all of your 415 magazine work in my art folder – how come you stopped photographing for them?" The girl continued; she looked into Piper's face, searchingly. The older witch blinked, completely in shock that she was partaking in such an absurd conversation.

"Things change." Piper told the girl finally; she had no idea why she wasn't admitting her true identity, but no matter what her brain told her to say, she just couldn't stop herself from saying the opposite. She certainly wasn't her sister. She could only wish to be as good as Prue had been. Piper studied the girl, bemused that she couldn't see her out as the fraud she was, standing there still walking, talking and breathing, still doing the same behind the scenes job of saving the world that she and Prue had done together, before...

The card machine let out a beep that seemed to bring them both back to reality. Piper snatched her card back from the slot swiftly. She straightened her handbag, and nodded to the girl rigidly. She felt like a statue of stone trying to move.

"I have to go now." Piper said, the words tumbling from her mouth like vomit. She felt her stomach twist as she began to make for the door, a single tear running down her cheek. Her head was spinning and her body felt faint. She had to leave. She had to get home. She had to escape.

Suddenly, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, wait," Stacey placed her hand lightly on Piper's jacket, "you forgot your shopping."

They connected gazes, only for a moment, but it was enough.

They both shared a small simple smile.

"Thank you." Piper said softly, her voice barely louder than a ghost of a whisper.


End file.
